After being off for a few weeks, the New York Islanders will look to make it three wins in a row as they battle the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at 7 p.m. EST.

The Islanders are 32-21-5 and third in the Metropolitan Division. In their last game, they beat the New Jersey Devils on the road 3-1. About halfway through the game, New York gave up the first goal, but late in the second period, they tied things up. Late in the third period, the Islanders took the lead and added an empty netter. The Islanders outhit the Devils 25-13 and won in faceoffs 33-16, but were outshot 24-14. The power play was 0-for-1, and the penalty kill was 1-for-1 on stops. New York benefited from some of the Devils' puck giveaways, and the first star of the game was Bo Horvat, who scored one goal and had one assist.

The Canadiens are 32-17-8 and second in the Atlantic Division. In their last game, they beat the Winnipeg Jets on the road 5-1. Six minutes into the game, Montreal was down 1-0. From there, they scored five straight goals and scored in every period. The Canadiens outhit the Jets 21-15 and won in faceoffs 33-27, but were outshot 37-27. The power play was 1-for-2, and the penalty kill was 3-for-4 on stops. Montreal was good at takeaways, and goaltender Sam Montembeault was the first star with 36 saves.

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Note: The above data was collected on Feb. 26, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

New York Islanders

Montreal Canadiens

New York is 24th in scoring, third in goals against, 30th on the power play, and eighth on the penalty kill. Horvat led the team in goals. The Islanders are 16-11-3 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. New York has been facing some offensive challenges, having averaged only 2.8 goals per game in their last 10 games. Also, they are heavily shorthanded on the blue line and up front. The defense is slightly trending up, and the team has won three of its last four road games.

Montreal is third in scoring, 23rd in goals against, seventh on the power play, and 25th on the penalty kill. Lane Hutson leads the team in assists. The Canadiens are 16-11-1 at home and 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.  This will be Noah Dobson's first game against his former team since being traded to Montreal for Emil Heineman and two first-round picks. Dobson previously had immense success against Montreal, posting 15 points in 11 career games while with the Isles. Also, Alex Newhook is expected to return to the lineup after missing three months with an ankle fracture. 

Best Bet: Canadiens Spread

The Islanders have some key guys out on both sides of the puck, and the offensive production is down. The Canadiens play well at home and are basically fully healthy with their best guys.